After graduating college and spending most of my time working, I have decided to dive back into the dating pool. My name is Jackie and I am a 25 year old woman who is ready to start exploring the online dating world. I am a virgin to online dating and have always wondered what it might be like and if it’s a fit for me. After many nights, by myself, binge watching Netflix with a glass of wine, I came to the decision to start my online dating journey with Plenty of Fish.
I’d say I’m a pretty active person and like to stay busy going to the gym, working, and spending time with my friends. And whenever I get the chance, my absolute favorite thing to do is travel and see the world. So naturally, I’m looking for someone who is just as curious as me about all the different cultures in the world and wants to travel and experience them all.
Why POF?
Some of you might be wondering why I decided to start with POF? Sure, there are so many dating apps out there and I can easily sign up for all of them but I’m a woman and I know what I want! I want someone who will prioritize our relationship and take me seriously. I don’t want a one night stand or situationship and with POF I can add to my profile exactly what I’m looking. And if it doesn’t work out that way, it’s also a great opportunity to meet some cool new people and potentially make new friends.
First Impressions
I have to say creating a profile was a pretty extensive process but it really did ask all the right questions. Once I got past the profile set up, I went directly to the Meet Me screen and started swiping, you know a little to the left, a little to the right. I liked what I saw! Instantly, I started to get messages too, what a confidence booster! I could get used to this. Honestly, I didn’t think that the matches and convos would start as fast as they did, but i’m not complaining. As the day went on, I would go into my messages to see who was reaching out and responded to a couple guys. I even sent the first message a couple times too! The conversations were mostly pretty light, only one has really started to pick up. Below are a couple of my favorite messages that I received, take note daters:
I also took a look around the app and joined a couple live streams on the Live! feature to see what the hype was about. It was an easy way to start chatting with new people around me, especially when joining streams specific to what i’m interested in. Who knew that you could meet other singles by watching a live stream! And if I like the person streaming, I just send them a heart or gift!
The Journey to Come
It’s common knowledge that online dating can be a grind, anyone who’s tried it gets that. I know it’s going to take me some time but I’m here for the ride. My goal is to find someone that I will actually connect with, will enjoy being active, and will want to travel together eventually. I want someone that wants someone too. In my dating life, I’ve run into many people that would lead me on and then decide that they didn’t want a relationship. Creating a profile on POF has given me the opportunity to be upfront about who I am and what I want.
The Obstacles
Online dating has always been in the back of my head but I was nervous about opening up again. I had to get over this fear and realize that no one really has everything figured out in life. Everyone has the chance to make their own story and messing up isn’t always a negative thing. One of my old coaches always used to say “you have to start being comfortable with being uncomfortable” and I never used to understand what it actually meant until now. Being uncomfortable and nervous only means that your life has the chance to elevate. Overcoming the fear of opening up has already started to make my life better and get me to see the better side of life.
